Experts recommend getting a 1:11 flu shot
(CNN) ––
Doctors are concerned about a "double pandemic" of coronavirus and flu that could overwhelm the health system.
And in the meantime, Americans face the possibility of fighting both viruses at the same time.
"You certainly can have the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously, which could be catastrophic for your immune system," said Dr. Adrian Burrowes, a family physician in Florida.
In fact, becoming infected with coronavirus or flu can make you more vulnerable to the other illness, explained epidemiologist Dr. Seema Yasmin.
"Once you get the flu and some other respiratory viruses, it weakens your body," said Yasmin, director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative.
"Your defenses go down and that makes you vulnerable to getting a second infection as well."
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The effects on the body
On their own, both COVID-19 and the flu can attack the lungs.
This could cause pneumonia, fluid in the lungs or respiratory failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Each disease can also lead to septicemia, heart damage, and inflammation of the heart, brain, or muscle tissues.
Having coronavirus and flu simultaneously "would increase the risk of long-term effects of either of those organ systems," said Dr. Michael Matthay, a professor of medicine and critical care specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
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But it is too early to know exactly how much worse the double whammy could be compared to having just one of the viruses.
That's because Covid-19 spread to the U.S. near the end of last flu season, Matthay said.
Therefore, there is not much data yet on people who get both diseases at the same time.
Risk of pneumonia
Matthay suspects that the potential for pneumonia would be higher if the body becomes infected with both flu and coronavirus.
"The two (viruses) together could definitely be more damaging to the lungs and cause more respiratory failure," he said.
Respiratory failure does not necessarily mean that your lungs stop working.
It means that the lungs cannot get enough oxygen to the blood.
"Acute respiratory failure can be a life-threatening emergency," noted the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
"Respiratory failure can damage the lungs and other organs, so it is important to get treatment quickly."
How do I know if I have covid-19 or the flu (or both)?
"The symptoms of coronavirus and flu are quite similar, so it is difficult to distinguish between them," said Dr. Leonard Mermel, medical director of the Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control at Rhode Island Hospital.
Both influenza and COVID-19 can cause fever, cough, shortness of breath and fatigue, according to the CDC.
Also sore throat, body aches and runny or stuffy nose, they added.
"Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, although this is more common in children than adults," the agency said.
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But, unlike the flu, the coronavirus can cause loss of taste or smell.
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And about half of covid-19 transmissions occur among people who do not have any symptoms.
(Many of them are presymptomatic and are more contagious
before they
begin to show symptoms.)
So the best way to know if you have coronavirus or flu (or both) is to get screened.
The CDC created a test that identifies the two viruses, to be implemented by public health laboratories supported by the agency.
The entity said it continues to manufacture and distribute these tests.
How can I avoid having both viruses at the same time?
Wear a mask and keep your physical detachment.
Health officials emphasize in these two actions if Americans want to control COVID-19 and get the economy back on track.
With the flu season looming, such precautions can "double protect us from both viruses," Yasmin said.
In the southern hemisphere, which is just ending its winter months and flu season, several countries reported staggeringly low flu numbers due to people wearing masks and respecting social distancing.
In Australia, for example, laboratory confirmed flu cases fell from 61,000 in August 2019 to 107 last month.
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But in the US, some people are being lax about wearing masks and social distancing.
That's a big problem, said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
As he explained, there could be a "perfect storm of accelerated covid-19 activity, as people gather more, indoors, especially."
And he added that this occurs when they continually fatigue from the mask, social distancing and hand hygiene, and are exposed to seasonal flu. "
Get a flu shot.
This may seem obvious.
Still, about half of all Americans don't get a flu shot, including the majority of children who die from the flu.
Now, even if you get the flu after receiving a vaccine, the symptoms are usually less severe than without vaccination.
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"Timely flu vaccination is particularly important" this season, wrote the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Flu Shot Can Help Others
Getting a flu shot can also help many more people than yourself, said immunologist Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association.
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"Because hospitals and doctors' offices will be very busy caring for COVID-19 patients, a flu vaccine can help reduce burdens on the health care system and ensure that those in need of medical care can obtain it," Bailey said.
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Approximately 140,000 to 810,000 Americans are hospitalized for the flu each year, according to the CDC.
The number of coronavirus hospitalizations is expected to increase more than 150% between now and December 1, according to the University of Washington Institute for Health Evaluation and Measurement.
"Every year, many patients contract severe influenza with respiratory failure," Matthay said.
Among those with severe pneumonia for this reason, "the vast majority have not had a flu shot that year."
CNN's Amanda Watts, Jen Rose Smith, John Bonifield, Jacqueline Howard, and Elizabeth Cohen contributed to this report.
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